VANCOUVER, BC, APRIL 28, 2008 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: ROXANNE TORONTO 604.844.3075 BUS. / 778.990.3075 CEL. COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, FOUNDATION + DEVELOPMENT [email protected] EMILY CARR INSTITUTE OF ART + DESIGN FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES RECIPIENT OF INAUGURAL GORDON SMITH ACHIEVEMENT AWARD VANCOUVER, BC – Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design Foundation (ECIADF), will honour international artist Ian Wallace, by presenting him with the inaugural Gordon Smith Achievement Award on Friday, May 2, 2008 at a ceremony to be held at the Emily Carr Institute. Renowned artist and Vancouver School of Art (now Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design) alumnus Gordon Smith, will present Wallace with the award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the world of art. In celebration and in recognition of Wallace’s achievements, Bob Rennie, Director of Rennie Marketing Systems, has established an Emily Carr Institute Exceptional Teaching Award Endowment in his name. The Ian Wallace Excellence in Teaching Award will be awarded to an Emily Carr Institute faculty member, beginning Spring 2009. The ECIADF will also present its inaugural Media Award in recognition of outstanding support of Art, Media and Design in the Province of British Columbia, to The Vancouver Sun columnist, Malcolm Parry. The ECIADF will also honour the following donors at the Award Ceremony for their outstanding and generous contributions to the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design: • The Vancouver Foundation • The Caroline Victoria Coldicutt Arts Foundation (CVCAF) • Chris and David Dodge • Dr. Yosef Wosk • Bob Rennie (who will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Letters at the Emily Carr Institute graduation ceremony to be held Saturday, May 3, 2008, at the Chan Centre). “The Emily Carr Institute Foundation is both delighted and proud to recognize these outstanding individuals and organizations for their contributions to the world of art, media and design,” states Christopher Brough, Chair, Emily Carr Institute Foundation. Career Highlights – Award Recipients Ian Wallace Through his activities as an artist, teacher (Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design, 1972—1998), and critic, Ian Wallace has had significant influence on the development of contemporary art in Vancouver. He has been engaged in debates around the production and dissemination of art and the critiques of the museum, and the question of authorship, as well as “post-studio” practice have been addressed in his work. He exhibits widely in Canada, Europe and the USA, with work included in numerous collections including the Reina Sophia in Madrid, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Centre Pompidou in Paris, The National Gallery in Ottawa and The Vancouver Art Gallery. Wallace is also the recipient of: • The Governor-Generals Award for Excellence in the Arts, 2004 • VIVA Award for Excellence in the Arts, 1997 • Emily Carr Institute Honorary Doctorate of Letters, 2007 Malcolm Parry Malcolm Parry was born and educated in England. During his Canadian career, he has worked as a commercial and industrial photographer, an advertising and public relations manager, and has also freelanced extensively as a writer and photographer for regional and national newspapers and periodicals in Canada. Parry has been the founding editor of several successful publications and was founding editor, and later publisher, of Vancouver Magazine. Parry has worked as a columnist for the Vancouver Sun since 1991, during which time he has written about cultural, entertainment, business, education and political happenings and has photographed for publication some 1200 individuals many of whom are directly connected to the Emily Carr Institute and the art and design community. (Reference Vancouver Sun website) Philanthropists Chris and David Dodge Chris Dodge studied at the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design for a period of one semester. Though brief, her time at the Institute was both profound and memorable and left her with a strong desire to lift the financial barriers for other artists and designers to pursue an ECI education. Her husband David Dodge, who at the time of the establishment of the award was the Governor of the Bank of Canada, was of like mind. Chris and David Dodge elected to assist ECI's Aboriginal students by creating the Chris and David Dodge Aboriginal Awards Endowed Fund, as they understand the extreme challenges that these students need to surmount if they are to successfully complete their studies. Bob Rennie Director of Rennie Marketing Systems, Bob Rennie has been marketing and branding residential real estate in the Greater Vancouver Area and throughout North America since 1975. Less well known is his passion and dedication to the visual arts, his establishment of a significant collection of contemporary works, and his generous support of artists and institutions in Vancouver and beyond. He is currently restoring Chinatown’s oldest structure to house his corporate offices along with the Rennie Collection, which includes work by local, national and international artists, from Ian Wallace, Rodney Graham and Brian Jungen to Ed Ruscha, Mona Hatoum and Anselm Keifer. This move to Vancouver’s Chinatown combines his love of art with his knack for bringing life back to one of Vancouver’s forgotten communities. Rennie is a benefactor of and advisor to ECI, and sits on the Dean's Advisory Board to the Faculty of Arts at the University of British Columbia and the acquisitions boards of both the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery at UBC and London's Tate Modern Museum. In recognition of his charity work locally and nationally, he was presented with the Queen's Golden Jubilee Award in 2002. Dr. Yosef Wosk Dr. Wosk is the Director of Interdisciplinary Programs at Simon Fraser University, founder of The Philosopher’s Cafe and the Academy for Independent Scholars, as well as an ordained rabbi. He is the recipient of The Order of British Columbia and the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and follows in his family’s long standing tradition of philanthropy. Dr. Wosk is one of Emily Carr’s most generous supporters. In addition to donating an important art collection valued at one million dollars, he has established Bursary and Scholarship Endowment Funds to assist both exceptional students and students in need. Foundations The Caroline Victoria Coldicutt Arts Foundation The Caroline Victoria Coldicutt Arts Foundation (CVCAF) honours the artistic legacy of Caroline Victoria Coldicutt, artist, poet and student. Caroline began to display artistic talent at an early age and planned to attend Emily Carr Institute, but due to her tragic death at 17, her dream was never realized. In 2007, through the CVCAF, her parents Elizabeth and Thomas Coldicutt, established the Caroline Victoria Coldicutt Art Scholarship Endowment Fund in her memory. “The Caroline Victoria Scholarship was created to honour Caroline’s passion for the arts,” said Elizabeth Coldicutt. “What better way to represent this passion than through an endowment at Emily Carr Institute that provides inspiration and encouragement for student artists to pursue their creative talents.” The Vancouver Foundation The Vancouver Foundation has long been a supporter of the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design. The Foundation has provided funds and matching funds for bursary and scholarship endowments and most recently has provided funding to help facilitate a Summer Institute for Aboriginal Teens. The objective of the Summer Institute for Aboriginal Teens is to offer Aboriginal teens the opportunity to pursue their art, media and design education, regardless of their financial status. The goal is to secure strong enrolment, retention and graduation rates for Aboriginal teens by facilitating programs that are accessible and responsive to their needs. With the assistance of the Aboriginal Co-ordinators and art teachers from each of the following school districts: Burnaby, Coquitlam, North Vancouver and Vancouver fifteen students have been chosen to participate in the pilot program that will take place at ECI this summer. Drawing upon the successes of Emily Carr Institute’s Summer Institute for Teens Program, the initial pilot phase of the Summer Institute for Aboriginal Teens will further develop and incorporate traditional aboriginal methods of expression and contemporary approaches to artistic productions through hands-on studio workshops, in-class critiques, discussions and guest presentations. Monitored, developed and taught by ECI Aboriginal staff and faculty, this four- week intensive program will address the needs of aboriginal teens and allow them the opportunity to develop an admission portfolio for full-time studies at ECI or an alternative art and design post secondary institute. - 30 - About Emily Carr Institute: Based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Emily Carr Institute is one of the world’s premier art institutes devoted to excellence and innovation in visual arts, media arts and design. Emily Carr Institute offers Masters and Bachelor degree programs and a rich variety of continuing studies courses. Established in 1925, ECI is one of the oldest post-secondary institutions in Canada. For additional information: Roxanne Toronto Communications Officer Emily Carr Institute 604.844.3075 business 778.990.3075 cellular [email protected] .